Saiff Hamid, Men’s Hockey President and Sports Officer 2021-2022
I only decided to run for President the week before our AGM – on my birthday! My predecessor was trying to convince me to do it for a while, but for a long time, I didn’t think it was something I would be able to do. After a while, I just decided to stop doubting myself and thought, why not - I might as well give it a go and see what happens!
I had been a member of the Hockey Club for 3 years, it has definitely been the highlight of my time at Uni and I’d grown to love it. I wanted to see it thrive, particularly after returning from the Covid year. Furthermore, I was Treasurer at the time and had helped in implementing a lot of great initiatives that I wanted to see flourish the following year. My three main manifesto points where:
- Restarting Hockey – returning to the pitches was one of the most anticipated activities of this year. I want to make sure we made the most of it, and that our teams excelled.
- Restarting Socials – there was a lot of lost time to make up for, I wanted to ensure socials returned with a bang and were better than ever.
- Club Support and Development – I wanted to build on the great work done my predecessor and I did last year. Lots more can always be done in developing and professionalising the club, as well as supporting its members.
The election…
I found the election experience relatively easy drawing up my manifesto because I had a lot of ideas and it was something I was quite passionate about. When it came to AGM, it was definitely nerve-racking having to defend my ideas and field questions from the rest of the club, but at the time all I could do was try my best and be confident in my knowledge. After that, it was an anxious, but also exciting few weeks waiting for the results to be announced.
Challenges…
Most of the challenges that I have faced are ones that I don’t think I could have prepared for. Trying to be as organised as possible and plan as much stuff in advance is definitely a good habit to fall into. However, on a weekly basis different problems usually crop up and you just have to learn how best to deal with them when they come. You should always have good communication with your committee and make sure you delegate tasks to them so you don’t take on too much at once. Know your committee's strengths and the things they are passionate about so you know the best person to give tasks to when you need to.
Achievements…
On the pitch I would my biggest achievement in the role has been each of our three teams having their most successful season to date. Our 1s are on the cusp of winning their league, cup and having a big varsity win. Our 2s are heading towards a strong finish in the league they were going to get relegated from pre-covid. Finally, our 3s are going to finish second in the league they just got promoted into! A lot of work has been put into improving the diversity & inclusion of the club over the past few years, and I’m happy to say after making a lot of changes in the way we do things across the board this year we’re in the best place we’ve ever been in and have reduced all barriers in getting involved in university hockey!
What’s it really like?
I think when you’re a fresher you underestimate the amount of work the committee puts in behind the scenes. It’s only when you join the committee you see how much time and effort they put in to each activity to make sure everything runs smoothly and that everyone has an enjoyable time. Similarly, people probably don’t realise the amount of work the President does behind the scenes to run the club, until you have to do it yourself. Initially, I don’t think I realised just how much of my time would be spent managing the rest of the committee and doing admin tasks to ensure activities can be run. However, I would also say starting out it was a lot more exciting than I thought it would be, as I essentially had a blank canvas and could the club in any direction I wanted, pursuing the areas I was passionate about.
Advice…
I think if you love the club or society you are in, then pursuing a leadership role is one of the most enjoyable and rewarding things you can do. You get to cultivate all the things that made you love that environment in the first place, to ensure a whole new generation of students get to have the same great experiences that you did.
When drawing up your manifesto I would say first look back at your time in the club and think about all the things you enjoyed and want to see a return in the following year. Then look back at all the things you didn’t enjoy, and things you want to see done better in the club and think about how you would go about creating the better environment that you want to see. Be ambitious and confident in yourself!
Nominations are open
Each year in March, every student at UCL votes to elect the leaders of clubs, societies and the Students’ Union. 1,000’s put themselves forward and 1,000’s vote. The students you elect start work in the summer and spend the next academic year making more happen at UCL.
You can put yourself forward to lead a club, society or the Students’ Union, then encourage students to vote for you. The Leadership Race is open to all.
Most of the leadership roles are voluntary, undertaken alongside your studies, but six are full-time paid positions where those elected take a sabbatical year and lead the entire Students’ Union.